[Hiring] Senior Infrastructure Engineer @Upstart

Role Description

As a Senior Infrastructure Engineer joining the Data Production Experience (PX) team, you will focus on:

• Lakehouse Infrastructure and Security:
  • Own the Databricks platform across multiple environments, including a newly launched regulated environment (Upstart Bank).
  • Expand infrastructure as code for new Lakehouse features.
  • Enforce a no-click-ops policy.
  • Establish disaster recovery.
  • Implement least-privilege and attribute-based access controls (e.g., based on data classification).
  • Ensure environment isolation and resolve other known security risks.
• Compliance:
  • Close control gaps and automate evidence gathering for OCC, SOX, and SOC audits across access management, change management, and data quality.
• Cost and Usage Efficiency:
  • Reduce Databricks and AWS spend through accurate cost attribution, waste detection, and platform-level optimizations (e.g., compute rightsizing, improving pruning, migrating to Graviton and spot instances, Delta Lake Archival).

How you’ll make an impact:

• Evaluate and adopt new technologies, including open-source lakehouse alternatives, to expand platform capabilities.
• Improve developer efficiency and infrastructure reliability by working with cross-functional stakeholders like Data Engineering, Machine Learning, Analytics, Compliance, and Security.
• Improve Lakehouse security, usage efficiency, and observability by collaborating closely with the Data Engineering and Security teams.
• Evangelize good coding and engineering best practices while uplifting fellow engineers and mentoring junior team members.
• Help break down complex projects and requirements into quarterly commitments and sprints.
• Own Lakehouse infrastructure components end to end, from technical requirements and design through rollout and production support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in infrastructure engineering, DevOps, or data platform engineering.
• Hands-on experience operating a lakehouse or big data platform (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, Apache Spark, Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg).
• Hands-on experience with AWS (e.g., IAM, S3, EC2, EKS), Python, infrastructure as code (Terraform or CDK), CI/CD, and Kubernetes.

Requirements

• Experience implementing security and compliance controls in audited environments (e.g., SOX, SOC 2, GDPR, GLBA, OCC), including access management, encryption, and change management.
• Experience reducing cloud or data platform costs through usage analysis, cost attribution, and infrastructure optimization (e.g., Graviton or spot instances, storage tiering).
• Ability to reason from first principles and work effectively through ambiguity on complex, cross-functional problems.
• Proficient in DevOps engineering, leveraging Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools such as Kubernetes, Jenkins, CDK, APM, Terraform, and more.
• Solid understanding of cloud networking fundamentals.
• Skilled at explaining complex concepts in simple, accessible terms and thriving in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Experience using AI coding assistants or agents to accelerate infrastructure development and operations.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, data architecture design, and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Kafka, Lakehouse, Databricks).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
• Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada).
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only).
• Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
• Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only).
• Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security.
• Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements.
• Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country).
• Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources.
• Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service (US Only).
• Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you.
• Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from.
• Connection and community through team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs).
• Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City.